The Top 10 Lessons I've Learned as an Expat & Easy Pad Thai

Happy New Year! I can't believe it's 2015 already. I know everyone says this but I really mean it - where did 2014 go?! And, why have I been such a blog slacker? My last blog was in September, 4 months ago. I didn't plan on not writing, it's just that like all of you, I have been busy. Busy with raising kids, maintaining a household, running errands, managing a small baking business, and all the other details that go into our daily lives. Probably another reason I haven't written is that this blog takes me a long time to write. There is a lot of research that goes into my blog that is sometimes daunting for my little writing hobby. Today's blog has no research behind it, just my experience of living abroad. I have seen several articles on the internet recently about what people have learned being an expat. It prompted me to write as my experience is different. A lot of these articles are from young backpackers who have travelled abroad and may not have necessarily lived abroad for an extended period of time. I am the latter having lived in Sydney, Australia now for 5 years. I've learned a lot and wanted to share this for anyone who cares and/or might be moving abroad.

Card given to me by my girlfriends before I moved abroad.

1. The first year is challenging
Moving overseas sounds very exciting and glamorous to many. Before leaving, many people will tell you how great it all sounds, how they wish they could pick up and move somewhere, how brave you are. There are others who look at you with a weird face and tell you that you're crazy. And like other milestones in life - getting married, having a child, the thrill of living overseas lessens when you settle into a new country and have to start all over again.  It takes a while to figure out the logistics of your new life  abroad and you mostly have to figure it out on your own. Note to anyone moving, don't move over the holiday season; it's rough. I was not happy the first year, as I felt like a lonely isolated foreigner. Like anything, it takes time, patience, effort, a positive attitude and a hopeful leap of faith.

theologigal.com

2. If you move to a modern, first world country that speaks the same language, don't assume it will be the same.
While Australia is a modern first world country that speaks English, it is still different. I didn't realize moving here, that even with a lot of similarities, there were many differences too such as the lingo/slang, social norms, a more casual lifestyle, a different work outlook, different government, different school system, and many other aspects. Life down under is different.

3. Not everyone likes Americans
Some people love Americans and some people hate them. I've been told that Americans are so friendly, nice, energetic and fearless. On the other hand, we are brash, loud, ignorant, ethnocentric. Some despise American consumer culture as we "force" new trends, clothes, foods, holidays on them. Several times I have been asked if I'm Canadian. When I've said 'No, I'm American,' I am told, 'Oh, I thought so but didn't want to offend you as Canadians hate it when I ask them if they're American.' Gee, thanks...

4. When in Rome, be a Roman
You have to be willing to be flexible and adapt to your new country. No one cares if they do it differently in the US; you are not in the US anymore. Learn the local colloquial expressions, try new foods, don't complain how the prices/government/schools/holidays etc are different from your home country. Be where you are; adapt to your new home.

http://anothersmalladventure.blogspot.com.au/

5. You become nostalgic.
That said, nostalgia comes at unexpected times - whether its a food you miss, a smell that reminds you of home, a person that looks like an old friend, holiday memories creep their way out of your memory. It is this nostalgic that can make you long for home.

6. Building friendships requires time and effort.
 Moving overseas, I had no friends and I found it a real effort to establish new friendships. It is easy to make acquaintances if you put yourself out there but finding a few good friends can be hard. Australia has a small population (24 million) with  8 capital cities. Most people live in and around the cities so the women I've met have family and friends they have known for 20+ years. Many are not looking for new friends. I actually made a friend strategy last year choosing a few women I really liked and focusing on building a friendship with them.  This was worth the unexpected effort.

7. You can reinvent yourself.
Since you have left everything behind and are starting over again, you can recreate yourself. No one knows your past history and you may try things you haven't tried before. You can also change your behaviors and hopefully improve upon your shortcomings.

8. As an ex-pat, you become more independent, self reliant, confident and resourceful.
Since you have said goodbye to everything you know and moved to another country, you now have to rely on one person - yourself. You will have to step out of your comfort zone to navigate a new place, solve problems, and do a lot on your own. With successes and failures, you will be stretched as a person and will learn that you are capable of more than you thought you were capable of.

9. Living abroad changes you.
Living in another country gives you a new perspective of your home country. When you are removed from all you know, you develop views on your country from a personal perspective (eg. friends, family, work) and from a macro perspective (eg. culture, government). Because of your new perspective, you will feel changed. I often feel like a stranger in a strange land both in Australia and the US. In Australia, I will never completely fit in because I am a foreigner. In the US, I find my friends and family haven't changed much but I have. The US looks very different to me now that I have been away for 5 years.

10. You may not want to return home.
After living abroad, you may not want to return to your home country. We recently got our permanent residency (aka green card). If you told me when we moved here that I would be staying, I would have laughed. Then again, life is a journey full of surprises. I have learned you need to take that leap of faith and enjoy the ride.

Thai food was foreign to me when I moved here but very popular in Australia. There are Thai restaurants all over Sydney and it's become one of my favorites with the fresh flavours, spices, curries, noodle dishes, lovely soups, etc. I have always been intimidated to make it as recipes call for spices and condiments that I don't usually have in my cupboard. However, I saw a recipe in one of my cookbooks and thought why not give it a try? I had no problem finding the noodles, fish sauce, chile sauce, soy sauce in the Asian section of the grocery store. I found this dish easy to make, full of flavor and versatile as you can chose your type of meat. It is also nice for those gluten-free easters who may be craving pasta as rice noodles are gluten free.

Easy Pad Thai

adapted from Everyday Food:Great Food Fast 

by Martha Stewart Living

Serves 4 as a main, 6+ as an appetizer
Prep Time 30 mins
Total Time 45 mins

12 ounces/350 grms rice-stick noodles
1/3 cup tomato based chile sauce
1/3 cup lime juice
5 tablespoons Soy Sauce
3 tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
4 cloves garlic, minced OR 4 tsps of garlic from a jar
500gm or 1 pound of your choice of meat - shrimp/prawns, pork, chicken, tofu
3 cups of Bean Sprouts
8 Scallions/shallots, cut into 5cm/2inch pieces

Possible Garnishes - chopped roasted peanuts, lime wedge, lemon wedge, bean sprouts, red pepper flakes, chopped cilantro/corriander, 1 scrambled egg

1) Bring a large pot of water to boil. Remove from heat and add all the rice noodles. Soak for 4 minutes until softened. Immediately drain in your sink and rinse noodles under cold water until they are cool.

2)In a small bowl, whisk together chile sauce, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, and fish sauce.

3) In a large skillet, heat 2 Tablespoons of oil over high heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add your meat and cook through until done. I used shrimp/prawns and cooked them quickly, until they were opaque. Transfer to a plate or bowl and set aside.

4) Using the same skillet, add the other 2 tablespoons of oil and coat the pan. Then add the noodles and chile sauce mixture and stir through for 1-2 minutes, so that sauce coats all the noodles.

5) Cut up the bean sprouts and then add them, the scallions and shrimp to the noodles. Over medium to high heat, stir for 2 more minutes.

6) Serve topped with garnishes if desired.

Coffee down under and Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hello. I haven't written a blog in over 1 month....where does the time go? Most of the past month has been taken up by the arduous task of moving. After living in the same house since we arrived in Australia 4+ years ago, we moved to a smaller (town)house. I think I am destined to live in towns with terrible names. I grew up in Poughkeepsie, NY a place that is hard to pronounce, hard to spell and has been the butt of jokes for years. On the older popluar show, Ally McBeal, the stuttering lawyer was told by his therapist to say, 'Poughkeepsie,' when he started stuttering. More recently Sex and the City 2 movie had Charlotte 'Poughkeepsie' in her pants - yikes! Clontarf is an equally bad name but in a bad ass way. It makes me think it would be a place in the TV show, Game of Thrones as I could imagine someone saying, 'You are hereby banished to Clontarf forever!" or "Don't behave like that or the evil dwarves from Clontarf will punish you." And now we live in Manly an equally bad name for a town and one that always gets laughs from my friends abroad. It actually conjures up the macho stereotypes that Australia has of rugged, handsome men - "Hey, you smell manly." "Boy you are looking manly tonight...the girls are gonna like you." I'd forgotten how much work moving is - selling, trashing, donating, packing, unpacking, organising, settling in, etc. It has been almost 1 month and I still don't feel settled nor are all the boxes completely unpacked. I will say it is great to live in Manly where it is more urban, eclectic, and full of great restaurants/bars/cafes. There is a great vibe here and also more ex-pats and backpackers passing through. I wrote a blog on Manly before. I do love my old neighbourhood but it was time to venture out (so far away - only 10 minutes:)) and try living in a new area of Sydney. With beaches all around, I can't wait to spend the summer here although summer doesn't seem to be coming anytime soon.

Spring started on September 1 and it was a glorious warm day but now it is bloody freezing. I am all "rugged up" as I type this as most homes here do not have central heating and the fan heater we have doesn't seem to do the job. There is also a southerly gale that has been blowing for the past day that made it hard to sleep last night with the house howling. My daughter even came into my bed last night as she was scared of the wind and needed earplugs which we keep in the house for these windy nights. I wasn't concerned or even knew much about wind patterns when we lived in California. A 'southerly' - do you mean south in San Jose? Out my window, I can see the large ferries, that shuttle people back and forth to Sydney's CBD,  and big white caps waves. The ferries are bobbing up and down like a speed boat. I'm wondering how many people have thrown up? Are babies flying in the air? Perhaps the captain is enjoying this joyride through the waves?  It's weather like this that you just want to stay inside, unpack boxes, pay bills and take care of things around the house. Wait, who wrote that? That's too sensible. No, for me today is about taking care of a sick daughter, baking, blogging, and drinking coffee.

www.heraldsun.com.au

You might think tea is very popular due to the pervasive British influence in Australia. Think again...it's coffee.While Paris has pastries, Italy has pasta, Belgium has chocolate, Australia has coffee. There are many other things Australia has but who knew one of them would be coffee? Coffee and the cafes are a big part of the social life in Australia.  Like Europe, people drink coffees and meet at cafes all times of the day. The local cafe becomes a community center, a place to meet friends and possibly bump into the neighbours.

While coffee and tea have been consumed in Australia for hundreds of years, the influx of European immigrants from Italy, Greece, Turkey and Eastern Europe in the 1950's brought espresso beans and a demand for high quality coffee. From those influences, high quality espressos and cafes grew. According to a recent report by IBISWorld market research, the Australian coffee industry has $4 billion in revenue, 5.3% growth the past 5 years, employs almost 85,000 people and over 6,600 businesses. Considering that there are only 23 million people in Australia, these are big numbers. There are even barista schools, a barista bootcamp, and Australian baristas who compete and have won international competitions. With a multitude of cafes and steep competition, the quality of coffee beans and the baristas can make or break a cafe.

When I travel back to the US, I miss my Australian coffee. The main option on my travels is Starbucks which I now find so generic, like a McDonalds. While Starbucks is a household name in the US and other parts of the world, it has been a flop in Australia. Starbucks came to Australia in 2000 opening around 100+ stores which probably doesn't sound like a lot of store but remember, Australia has a small population. They charged higher prices and brought America styles of coffee - drip coffee, frappacinos and other mainly American flavours. Today, there about 20 Starbucks cafes left, mostly in urban tourist areas. What went wrong? In the several articles I read, it was summed up best in the Australasian Marketing Journal 18 (2010) : "For Australians, coffee is as much about relationships as it is about the product. An impersonal global chain experience would have trouble replicating the intimacy, personalisation and familiarity of a popular suburban boutique cafe. Also, from many years of espresso coffee drinking, Australia has a developed a more sophisticated palate, enjoying coffee stronger and straighter, without the need to disguise the taste with flavoured, syrupy shots." Most articles also mentioned how Starbucks underestimated that Australia had a sophisticated coffee palate and well established cafe lifestyle.

I have visited a few of the Starbucks in Sydney and found them very out of place. I'd forgotten how generic they are, how big the cups are and how there are so many different types of coffees and drinks. It is ironic as it pretty much sums up my views when I return to the US - there are lots of chain stores, servings are much bigger and there are too many choices.  I also think it is weird after living here for a few years, that Starbucks still mostly serves American style coffees and flavours. Australian cafes don't sell drip coffee, frappacinos nor seasonal sugary coffee drinks. It's harder to find a drip coffee maker in Australia. In fact, I've never had a drip coffee in Australia, only when I go overseas. The coffee menu here is simpler and all based on variations of espresso:

australia.ifsa-butler.org

I think Flat Whites are probably the most popular flavour. There is a little coffee lingo too - 'skinny' means with skim milk and 'strong' means an extra shot. There are probably even more terms but since I usually order a skinny strong cappuccino, this is what I know best. 

New York City is starting to take notice of Australian coffee and cafe life down under. The New York Times  just had an article in their Dining & Wine section about Australian cafes opening up in New York City in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The article highlighted their desire to serve both excellent coffee with excellent food and sit down service so people can have more of a cafe, neighbourhood  experience. I look forward to visiting one on my next trip to New York City.

Besides dark chocolate, what tastes great with a coffee? For me, it is a big tasty cookie that is crunchy on the outside and chewy in the center. The recipe below is excellent and came out of a need to get some food into my sick daughter, who likes peanut butter, while at the same time trying to find something flourless as I am trying to eat less wheat. I was also excited to make it as I don't think Ive ever had a peanut butter cookie in Australia. Peanut butter in not popular here; it is a very American food. Most people would have a vegemite or butter and honey sandwich before they'd have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. These cookies are great! I made flourless cakes before but never flourless cookies. The batter texture is different and at one point I thought it was all wrong and was going to toss it. Don't that! It may seem weird and different, but they are delicious, especially if you like peanut butter and the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. 

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from Martha's Flourless Peanut Chocolate Cookies

PREP TIME: < 5mins

Cook TIME: 15 mins

COOL TIME: 10 mins

Makes 24 medium sized cookies

1 cup smooth or crunchy Peanut Butter

3/4 cup Sugar

1 Egg

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract/essence

1 teaspoon Baking Soda/bicarbonate of soda

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Chocolate Chips

1) Preheat oven to 375F or 170 fan forced. Take out 2 regular sized cookie sheets/baking trays.

2) Combine all ingredients except for chocolate chips and beat well with an electric or hand held mixer. 

*Note - batter will look like coarse sand. Because it doesn't have flour, it doesn't bind as well. You may think that you made a mistake and want to throw it out. Don't throw it out.*

3) Mix chocolate chips in by hand.

4) Gather up batter into balls. Place balls on cookie sheet and flatten cookie with the back of a fork. While doing this you will need to use one hand to hold the cookie ball on either side while the other hand uses the fork to flatten the cookie.

5) Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown and puffed. Cool for 10 minutes on the tray to set cookies. Enjoy! 

Australian Federal Election & Adults Only Gluten Free Brownies

Tony Abbott, leader of the Opposition
Liberal Party

Julia Gillard, first female PM
ousted Kevin Rudd to become PM &
then recently ousted by Kevin Rudd
Labour Party

Kevin Rudd, current & past PM
Labour Party

On September 7, the federal election will be held in Australia. The current Prime Minister ("PM"), Kevin Rudd, called the election on August 4, which was only a little over 1 month beforehand and less than 2 months after he ousted Julia Gillard to become PM again - yes again. Julia Gillard was Australia's first female PM and she overthrew Kevin Rudd in 2010. So, in less than a 3 month time span, Kevin Rudd overthrows Julia Gillard and calls a federal election to elect the ruling party and possibly have another PM. The leader of the Opposition is Tony Abbott and opinion polls currently show that the Liberal Party will win and he will in turn become PM. At least 2 PMs and possibly 3 PMs in 3 months? Have I moved to Italy?! How does this happen in Australia, a country with the world's most stable economy for the past 20 years? The country that again was #1 on the OECD Better Life Index? Possibly 3 PMs in 3 months is well, interesting to say the least to this Yankee girl. While Australians are use to their political system and don't find these events abnormal, I am fascinated. 'The Daily Show' also was interested and had a great clip on the Australian election with the hilarious John Oliver. Click on the link, give it a go and have a laugh!

To write this blog, I had to go back and do some research. (Perhaps this is why it takes me so long to write these blogs :)) The US is a republic with the President elected indirectly by the voters and directly through the Electoral College. Election day is set on the first Tuesday in November, every 4 years. No US President may serve more than 2 terms. So comparatively (and that's what I am always doing as an ex-pat) it would take at years to have 3 different leaders in power. Australia is a constitutional monarchy and the PM is chosen internally by the elected members of the party/parties that have won a majority of seats in the House of Representatives. The Australian House of Representatives serve a 3 year term but the Australian PM may dissolve Parliament and call an early election. There are no term limits down under as long as the public vote to keep the ruling party in office and the ruling members continue to allow the PM to lead. The longest running PMs are Sir Robert Menzies who served a total of 18 years and more recently, John Howard who served a total of 11 years. Both of these men served disjointed terms with time on and off as PM which I find again...very interesting.

While I am still learning how this constitutional monarchy works, I am amazed that a federal election can be called and held all within a 4+ week time frame. On US political shows, they're already discussing who might run for President in 2016. Yes, 2016 - that's 3 years away! Closer to the date (and year!), the candidates will get scrutinised until the media and America knows the exact number of gray hairs they have and who their first girlfriend was in 6th grade. The final candidates will be rock stars, protected by the Secret Service and travel around the country under tight security with flocks of aides at their side. Meanwhile, back in little Australia (little in population, large in land mass), I see Mr. Abbott at the beach, in his budgie smugglers (see these images ) and at the coffee shop, chatting with the locals like your average Joe. There is no pomp and circumstance, no security. He appears like every one else, enjoying the beach with only an occasional nod. I haven't seen him in Manly lately as he is on the campaign trail. However, if he becomes PM, he will have a small security team and hopefully will chose to wear longer, less revealing swim trunks. At least I hope so.

Some may think since the election is being called so quickly, why bother voting? In the US, voting is voluntary and the voting statistics over the past 50 years shows voter turnout to be between 38-55% of the voting population. In Australia, that number is close to 100% as voting here is compulsory. If you don't vote, you have to pay a fine. I remember when we first moved here and I was driving past our public school on a Saturday. I was gobsmacked (more lingo) wondering why there were so many "parents" coming out of the school on a Saturday morning. Did I miss the school memo? Did something happen? But no, it was an election day; local citizens had come out to vote. I wonder if  US Presidents and in turn, US history would've been different if there was compulsory voting in the US. Then again, with a population of 23 million in Australia and a much smaller voting population (>18 yrs old), it is easier to monitor and fine voters than in the US, with an exponentially larger population of 305 million. Anyway, it is great to seeing people exercising their democratic rights even if they're forced to. Oh wait, that doesn't sound right but either way, I'm glad everyone is voting.

Since voting is compulsory and many public schools serve as polling venues, schools often hold bake sales to raise money. Parents are asked to donate baked items for sale and I have been more than happy to bake for the school. As a baker, this is my sort of fund raising. Given this, I've decided to bake Gluten Free Brownies ("GF") for this blog. GF products are popular in my Sydney suburb. You can easily find GF breads, cereals, pasta, crackers at the regular grocery stores and grocery store giant, Cole's has just introduced their own GF food line. At Coles and other shops, GF brownie mixes are priced from $6-$8. My favourite cafe has GF brownies for $5 a slice....seriously? This is crazy expensive and I'm sure they both wouldn't taste as good as fresh homemade brownies do. So, I decided to experiment with a few recipes and make a good GF recipe from scratch, in my home kitchen.  I call these brownies, "adults-only" since my daughters said these brownies are too strong and not sweet enough. I did use dark chocolate chips, instant coffee and less sugar than my usual brownie recipe. They are rich, delicious and full of flavour. You don't need a big slice to feel satisfied. Then again, I ate 1/2 the pan of GF brownies in 15 hours minus 8 hours of sleep:). I actually cut up the rest and brought them to my neighbour. They are dangerous and taste great plain or with ice cream.

ADULTS ONLY GLUTEN FREE BROWNIES

200g Butter/14 tablespoons, chopped into 5 pieces

200g bar/8oz Dark Chocolate (60%+) or Dark Chocolate Chips
1 tsp instant coffee granules

3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup White Sugar

1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

1 cup Gluten Free Flour

2 tbsp Cocoa Powder

1 tsp Xanthan Gum (natural stabiliser for GF baking, found at health food store, inexpensive)

3 Eggs

Nuts (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 190C/375F. Grease standard square 8x8in or 18cm brownie pan.

2) In saucepan, melt better, chocolate, instant coffee, brown sugar, vanilla. Keep heat low as you don't want any ingredients to burn. Stir constantly until all ingredients are melted and mixture is glossy and smooth.

Set aside, set timer for *45 minutes* and let cool

(The first time I made these, I didn't let it cool long enough and ruined the brownies)

3) In small bowl, mix together gluten free flour, cocoa and xanthan gum.

4) In mixer or with electric hand beaters, whisk eggs and white sugar for 3 minutes on HIGH until thick and creamy.

5) Add *cooled* chocolate mixture and flour mixture to eggs in 2 batches. Add nuts if using and mix by hand or with beaters on LOW until just blended.
(Too much mixing will result in tougher, less fudgy brownies)

6) Pour into greased pan and bake for 20 minutes. It is often hard to tell if brownies are done. Check to see if the edges are clearly cooked and there may be some cracks across the centre. Give the pan a little jiggle; brownies should be firm. LET COOL FOR AT LEAST 1 HOUR. Taste best when they have been sitting for several hours.

7) Dust with powdered/icing sugar or cocoa. Serve alone or with cream or ice cream.